Page 40 of Guarding Truth
“Can you identify any of the perpetrators?” Agent McGregor asked, hovering in the corner with his notebook and pen handy.
Theo squinted for a minute as if conjuring up images from his horrible ordeal. “There were two men. Both big and muscular. I’m not sure of a physical description beyond that because they wore all black and kept ski masks on. I didn’t see their faces. And with the drugs in my system, my memory is foggy.”
Alana brought Theo another bottle of water, and he took it with a thank you. “My wife?” he asked after a sip. “She must be worried sick.”
Caleb pulled up his phone and dialed Theo’s home number. “Georgia? I have someone who’s desperate to talk with you.” He passed the phone to Theo, whose eyes lit up for the first time.
“Sweetie? I’m so glad to hear your voice.” Tears dripped down the man’s face and soaked his blood-stained T-shirt. They all moved a few steps away to give the man some privacy to reconnect with his wife.
“We’re taking Theo to the hospital to get checked out,” one of the paramedics said.
Theo stood and handed Caleb the phone. “Georgia is going to meet me at the hospital. What do these guys want with the laptop? And why kidnap me for it?”
“It’s a long story with what has transpired in the last twenty-four hours. I’ll let Agent McGregor fill you in.”
“But will you be safe? They’re after you. Do you have a place to stay that’s off the grid?” Theo started to sway, but one of the paramedics grabbed his arm to steady him.
“We’ll be fine,” Caleb said. “Juliette and I are going to check out the office damage on our way to a place where we can lie low for a while. But you need to take some time to rest and heal. Don’t worry about us. Take care of yourself.”
The paramedics ushered Theo out the door. Agent McGregor followed, lobbing questions at the man along the way.
Juliette glanced at Matt, hoping he would keep her informed as much as he could with the investigation. He gave her a curt nod, silently communicating he’d be in touch. Theo had been returned to them basically on her doorstep. And the man didn’t seem like he’d observed much in his time of captivity. They hadn’t learned much of anything from him. If anything, the drop-off was disconcerting.
“You two need to lie low for a while—somewhere else,” Matt said. “I don’t like this one bit. These perpetrators know your precise location. You’ve got to find somewhere off their radar.”
“Something—or someone—is tipping off the bad guys,” Alana said, looking between Caleb and Juliette. “Do you two have a safe place in mind?”
“Jules and I will be just fine,” Caleb responded matter-of-factly. “We’re moving to a safe house today.”
All eyes shifted to Juliette, and the room fell silent. Alana’s eyes went wider than the Grand Canyon. Matt shifted from one foot to the other.
“What?” Caleb asked.
“Um, you just called Juliette”—Alana lowered her voice in a mock whisper and put one hand next to her mouth—“Jules.”
“She threatened to kill a man who called her that once. I witnessed the whole thing.” Matt shook his head. “She doesn’t let anyone call her that. Any man who values his life knows this.”
Caleb shrugged, a hint of crimson coloring his cheeks. “I forgot about that. After all these years, you still don’t let people call you by a nickname?”
Alana rolled her eyes. Juliette would have some explaining to do for her coworkers’ benefit. Because, for some reason,Julesjust sounded perfect coming from Caleb’s lips.
“I’m just going to keep an eye on things outside,” Alana said with a quirky smile as she left, Matt trailing right behind her. She’d be teasing Juliette about this later.
Caleb and Juliette were alone again.
“Now for a cup of coffee,” Juliette said. She poured them both a mug.
“At least Ivy can sleep through anything,” Caleb said, accepting the coffee. “But it’s seven thirty, so she should be waking shortly, and we still don’t have a plan for the day.”
She set the mugs down on the table and sat next to Caleb. Her mind still reeled from his vulnerability last night when he’d shared about his mother. She hadn’t known the depth of the pain he’d carried for so long.
I can’t lose her.His words about Ivy had pierced her heart. He’d lost everyone else. And Juliette had left him too. The same way his mother had—walked out the door without so much as a goodbye.
How could she have been so careless?
And then he’d lost Tessa. If they didn’t get one step ahead of these hackers, Ivy might be next.
She sipped her coffee. “We need to head to the safe house. Get Ivy settled in.”